Torso constricting and molding garments



United States Patent UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventor Joseph M. Kaminm mmmr. In "L U e so o enfln M Hnaia -l.n vl e h m k BHMPM m Ae 3466555556 t 9 9 9 9 9 H B 11111 r 96372 r me ml 2 oo 2 7 9 E Z4 9 y ,335 W30948 m 58356 m nn 227.23 PA 0 n k r i 0 m 0 m w 0 a 0 dY nw w m m e N.m 19 t. n l m m I 5 r. 0 0 w m w oo fl a v. UIQC B7MAGNa Q e N mm d hwmme A F P A 11 253 22 7 [[[l [54] TORSO CONSTRICTING AND MOLDINGABSTRACT: A foundation garment such as a girdle, corselet. brassiere,etc., which has a non-elastic front panel and elastic side and backsections. An elastic control band extends around the entirecircumference of the garment with exceps .W F g .m w a m m W 5 MM Rh ACG9 tion of the front panel, the full length of the upper and lower edgesof the control band being detached from the garment. The control bandconsists of side band members which are superposed on the outer surfaceof the side sections, and back band member means underlying the innersurface of the back section.

References Cited Patented Aug. 25, 1970 Sheet INVENTOR:

JOSEPH M. KAMIN Patented Aug. 25, 1979 3,525,342

INVENTOR:

JOSEPH M. KAMIN yw 4M1 Patented Aug. 25, 1976 Sheet all-b Zia 43 2|INVENTORI JOSEPH M. KAMIN TORSO CONSTRICTING AND MOLDING GARMENTS Thisinvention relates to new and useful improvements in foundation garmentsworn for constricting and molding the torso, as for example, girdles,panty girdles, corselets and brassieres. Such garments usually embodysections of elastic material for producing the desired constrictiveforce upon the body, but it frequently happens that because of differentbody contours and also because of a particular garment structure itself,the constrictive force is unevenly distributed and proper shaping of thebody is not attained. Moreover, the garment often has a tendency to rideupwardly or downwardly, inasmuch as the elastic material inherentlylacks good qualities for properly anchoring the garment, as for exampleat the waistline or below the breasts.

Many of these disadvantages of conventional garment construction havebeen surmounted by providing girdles, panty girdles and corselets with aso-called.Waist Cincher" elastic band, in accordance with the teachingof US. Pat. No.

3,168,099 of Patrick J. Morano, issued Feb. 2, 1965. There an elasticband of substantial width, which may be on the order of 3 inches or so,extends completely around the sides and back of the garment at thewaist, being freely superposed thereon and capable to effectivelycontrol the action of whatever elastic sections the garment may embody,so that proper shaping of the torso is attained and good anchorage atthe waist is possible to prevent upward or downward riding.

The principal object of the present invention is to further improve uponthe arrangement of the elastic control band of the type disclosed in theaforementioned Morano patent, such improvement being primarily directedto a band structure which includes side band members superposedexteriorly on the garment side sections, and back band member meansunderlying the interior of the back section of the garment.

This construction not only facilitates proper shaping and anchorage, butalso provides effective support for the wearers back and reinforces theback section of the garment against breakdown.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an elasticcontrol band arrangement which is applicable not only to the waistregion of girdles, panty girdles and corselets, but also to the lowerregion of brassieres, both of the longline and bandeau type.

With the foregoing more important objects and features in view and suchother objects and features as may become apparent as this specificationproceeds, the invention will be understood from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whereinlike characters of reference are used to designate like parts, andwherein:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of a girdle type garment with thecontrol band of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view thereof, partially broken 7 away;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing in elevation theinside of the back of the garment;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view, taken substantially inthe plane of the line 4-4 in FIG. I, with components of the band shownspaced away from the garment for sake of illustration;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a longline brassiere with thecontrol band of the invention, the garment being shown in an open, flatposition;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the inside of thegarment of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view, taken substantially in the planeof the line 7-7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a bandeau type brassiere with thecontrol band of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view showingthe inside of thegarment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary front elevational view of another girdle typegarment with the control band of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the garment ofFIG. l0;and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the inside of thegarment of FIGS. 10 and 11 in a flat form.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail. more particularlyto FIGS. l-4 thereof, the same illustrate a girdle type garment 10 whichmay be a short girdle as shown, or a panty girdle or a corselet, itbeing understood that since the invention in this instance concernsitself primarily with the waist region of the garment, it makes nodifference how far below or above the waist the garment extends.

The garment 10 comprises a front panel 11 of non-elastic material, andif desired the front panel may be provided with a slide fastener I2 tofacilitate donning and removal of the garment. Also, the garmentincludes a pair of side sections 13 and a back section 14, the frontedges of the side sections being secured to side edges of the frontpanel 11 by front seams I5.

'while the rear edges of the side sections are secured to side edges ofthe back section 14 by rear seams 16. The side sections I3 may be formedfrom elastic material which is stretchable primarily in the horizontalor circumferential direction, as indicated by the arrows 17.

The back section I4 is composite in construction and includes a lowerelastic panel 140 and an upper elastic panel 14b, the lower edge of theupper panel being secured to the upper edge of the lower panel by a seamI8. The lower elastic panel 140 is stretchable in the vertical directionas indicated by the arrows 19, but is virtually non-stretchable in thehorizontal direction. The upper elastic panel 14b is stretchableprimarily in the horizontal direction as indicated by the arrows 20.

The control band 21 is disposed at the waist and extends around theentire circumference of the garment with exception of the front panel11. The band 21 is a circumferentially yieldable elastic strip ofsubstantial width, on the order of approximately 3 inches or so, andconsists of a pair of side band members 21a and a back band member 21b.The side band members 21a are freely superposed on the outer surface ofthe garment side sections 13, the front ends of the band members 21abeing secured at the front seams 15 while the rear ends thereof aresecured at the rear seams 16. The back band member 21b freely underliesthe inner surface of the garment back section 14 and has its endssecured at the rear seams l6,

at the seams 15, 16, the band members 21a and 21b are entirely detachedfrom the garment structure and are thus capable of independent extensionand contraction.

- for the seams 16, the close proximity of the lower edge of the member21b to the upper edge of the horizontally nonstretchable panel 14a willeffectively prevent stretching of the lower edge portion of the bandmember 21b, thus enabling the band to anchor itself at the waistline tosafeguard against upward or downward riding of the garment. However, theupper edge portion of the band member 21b, being more remote from thehorizontally non-stretchable panel 14a, will be free to stretchhorizontally with the panel 14b, thus effectively controlling the amountof flair needed at the waistline in sitting, bending or standingpositions of the wearer.

Positioning of the back band member 21b at the inside rather than at theoutside of the garment provides for a more effective support at thecenter of the wearer's back, with which the member 21b is thus in directcontact. Moreover, the underlying member 21b reinforces the overlyingpanel 14b of the back section and protects the entire back sectionagainst premature breakdown. With the control band 21 at the waistline,the front panel 11 and the side sections 13 as well as the back section14 of the garment project upwardly beyond the upper edge of the controlband, as shown.

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 9 which show the control band of theinvention embodied in a brassiere. FIGS. 57 illustrate a longlinebrassiere 30 including a non-elastic front panel 31, a pair of elasticside sections 32 secured to the front panel by the front seams 33, and aback section 34a, 34b of elastic material, secured to the side sectionsby the rear seams 35. In this instance the back section, rather thanbeing in one piece, is split along its vertical median line to thefacilitate donning and removal of the garment, the split back sections34a, 34b being separably connected together by hook and eye fasteners36, 37, as will be understood.

The usual breast cups are indicated at 38 and, if desired, conventionalspiral bones may be provided at the seams 33, 35 and also intermediatethe side sections 32 as indicated at 39, as is customary in the art.

The elastic control band of the invention is disposed at the lower edgeof the brassiere, extending around the entire circumference withexception of the front panel 31. The control band comprises a pair ofside band members 40a which are superposed on the outer surface of theside sections 32, and a pair of back band members 40b which underlie theinner surface of the back sections 34a, 34b. The front ends of themembers 4011 are secured at the front seams 33, while the rear ends ofthe members 40a as well as the front ends of the members 40!; aresecured at the rear seams 35. The rear ends of the members 4012 arestitched as at 41 at the split of the back section. The entire length ofthe upper and lower edges of the band members 40a, 40b is detached fromthe garment, so that the band members are capable of independentextension and contraction. If bone stitching is provided intermediatethe side sections 32 as at 39, such stitching may continue down to thelower edge of the band members 40a in a manner similar to the seams 33,35, but in the horizontal direction the upper and lower edges of themembers 40a are still free of attachment to the garment, as alreadynoted.

The side sections 32 preferably have inverted, shallow V- shaped loweredges 42 which are spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the bandmembers 40a, thus leaving lower portions of the members 40a exposed forcontact with the body notwithstanding the fact that these members aresuperposed on the outside of the side sections. The back band members40b, of course, are also in contact with the body since they aredisposed at the inside of the back section 34a, 34b. Thus, the bandmembers 40a, 40b provide effective support for the sides and back of thetorso and also serve to anchor the garment against upward or downwardriding.

The bandeau type brassiere 30 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is constructed inmuch the same manner as the longline brassiere 30 of FIGS. 57, andinasmuch as the difference between the two is largely in verticaldimension and pattern, rather than in actual structure, correspondingreference numerals have been used in FIGS. 8 and 9. It may be noted,however, that while the control band (40a, 40b) in the longline is ofsubstantial width, on the order of 3 inches or so, in the bandeau it issomewhat narrower, on the order of 1% or 2 inches, which still enablesit to perform its intended function in the bandeau where, because of thesmaller vertical dimension of the garment, a wider band is notnecessary.

In both the longline garment of FIGS. 5-7 and in the bandeau of FIGS. 8and 9 the back section 34a, 341: has been shown as being split into twoparts to facilitate donning and removal of the garment, and accordingly,the back members 40b of the control band are also in two parts,associated respectively with the two parts of the back section. However,it will be understood that if the brassiere is constructed so as to openat the front rather than at the back, then the back sections 34a, 34bwill be in one piece and the back band member 401) will also be in onepiece, extending continuously across the back section as in the girdleembodiment of FIGS. 1-4.

FIGS. 10-12 illustrate another modified arrangement of the inventionwherein a control band structure similar to that in the brassieres ofFIGS. 5-9 is associated with a girdle type garment such as that of FIGS.l-4. Here again, the garment 10 has a non-elastic front panel 11, a pairof side sections 13 and a back section 14, as already described inconnection with the girdle 10.

The control band 21 in this instance is disposed directly at the upperedge of the garment rather than being spaced downwardly therefrom as inthe girdle 10, the band 21 extending circumferentially around the entirewaist with exception of the front panel 11. The band includes side bandmembers 210 which are superposed on the outer surface of the sidesections 13, and a back band member 21b which underlies the innersurface of the back section 14.

Although the front panel 11 and the back section 14 extend to the upperedge ofthe garment, that is, to the same height as the upper edge of thecontrol band 21. the side sections 13 have inverted, shallow V-shapedupper edges 43 which are spaced downwardly from the upper edge of thegarment as is best shown in FIG. 12, thus leaving upper portions of theband side members 21a exposed for contact with the body notwithstandingthe fact that these members are superposed on the outside of the sidesections. The band back member 21b, of course, is also in contact withthe body since it is disposed at the inside of the back section, itbeing apparent that this arrangement in a girdle type garment is closelyanalogous to that in the brassiere type garment of FIGS. 5-9, except forbeing inverted. That is to say, in the girdle the V-shaped edges 43 areat the top of the side sections 13 and leave the upper portions of theband side members 21a exposed, while in the brassiere the V-shaped edges42 are at the bottom of the side sections 32 and leave the lowerportions of the band side members 400 exposed for contact with the skin.

While in the foregoing there have been described and shown the preferredembodiments of the invention, various modifications may become apparentto those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly,it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and variousmodifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within thespirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a torso constricting and molding garment, the combination of aback section, a pair of elastic side sections extending forwardlytherefrom, rear seams connecting rear edges of said side sections tosaid side edges of said back section, a non-elastic front panel, frontseams connecting front edges of said side sections to side edges of saidfront panel, and a circumferentially tensioned elastic band extendingaround the entire circumference of said garment with exception of saidfront panel, said band comprising a back band member and a pair of sideband members superposed on the outer surface of and circumferentiallycoextensive with the respective side sections, said side band membershaving front and rear ends secured at the respective front and rearseams, and said back band member means underlying the inner surface ofand circumferentially coextensive with said back section, said back bandmember means having ends secured at said rear seams.

2. The garment as defined in claim 1 wherein said band has upper andlower edges detached along their entire length from said side and backsections.

3. The garment as defined in claim 1 wherein said back section includesa lower elastic panel stretchable primarily in the vertical directionbut substantially non-stretchable horizontally, and an upper elasticpanel secured at its lower edge to the upper edge of said lower paneland stretchable primarily in the horizontal direction, said band beingdisposed at a level where the lower edge of said back band member meansis closely adjacent to the juncture of the upper and lower panels ofsaid back section, whereby the lower edge portion of the back bandmember means is held against horizontal stretching by the horizontallynon-stretchable lower panel while the upper edge portion of the backband member means is free to stretch with the horizontally stretchableupper panel.

4. The garment as defined in claim 3 wherein said side and back sectionsproject upwardly beyond the upper edge of said band.

of said band.

8. The garment as defined in claim 1 wherein the upper edge of said banddefines the upper edge of the garment at said side and back sections.

9. The garment as defined in claim 8 wherein said side sections haveupper edges spaced downwardly from the upper edge of said band.

